Let the Flames Begin
by Chelbi
Summary: Sparks are flying around Seireitei in the days leading to Kuchiki Rukia's execution. What will be destroyed by the resulting fire? What can be salvaged? RenjixRukia A songfic to "Let the Flames Begin" by Paramore.


Firstly, thanks for clicking my story! I'm rather proud of this, as the idea just jumped me in the middle of school and I worked on it on-and-off for a about a week and a half. On that note, most of this was written at school without reference to the manga/anime/etc except for what I remembered, so some of the events may be off or the dialogue may be wrong, but I tried to remember to the best of my ability.

Just one more thing and then I'll shut up: Ashii, the length of this story is for you. I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review before you head out! -Chelby

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"Class 1 Criminal Kuchiki Rukia will be executed twenty-five days from now." Kuchiki Byakuya had said the sentence twice, and Abarai Renji was still having trouble understanding. "The next time we meet will be at the execution platform."

For a second, Renji's eyes followed him as he left, marveling at his composure and wondering what he was actually thinking. Rukia murmured something and he couldn't believe the tone. She was calm. How could she be calm right now?!

xxx

Renji glared at the girl in front of him, smiling too cheerfully and standing on the very edges of her toes. "You're extra happy today," he commented gruffly, brushing past her into the Sixth Division's quarters.

"You're extra unhappy today," she quipped. "Didn't the mission go okay?"

He raised a tattooed eyebrow, "Kinnia, hasn't the sentence gone around yet?" She pursed her lips for a second, though, and then shook her head. "She's going to die, Kinnia."

Kinnia's red eyes widened, though the underlying happiness didn't quite fade. It never did. "Oh. I hadn't heard yet. How's Kuchiki-taicho taking it?"

"Stoically, of course." He shook his head slightly, closing his eyes in irritation. "He didn't even flinch."

There was a small pause which stretched for the perfect amount of time: it allowed just enough thought, but didn't quite let the discussion die.

"... How are you taking it, Renji?"

His eyes snapped open and to her, disbelief evident in his gaze. She met his eyes steadily, the happiness finally fading a bit in concern. After another pause, he murmured, "_What a shame we all became such fragile, broken things..._"

Kinnia didn't quite understand what he meant by that, couldn't read the look in his down-turned face. She tilted her head, realizing that was the only answer she was going to get. '_A memory remains..._' she thought vaguely, letting memories of their old missions flood her mind. "_Just a tiny spark..._" she murmured as the edges of the visions blurred.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well... we've all still got that same spark, that same strength we used to, right?" she responded, pursing her lips as she thought. "All I've got to do to revive it is _give it all my oxygen to let the flames begin._"

Renji looked at her incredulously, repeating, "_To let the flames begin_?" She nodded, smiling at full strength again. "What do you want to use those flames for?"

Kinnia sighed, scratching her head and putting her other arm on her hip. "I don't know. What do you want to use them for? It's your choice, fukutaicho-dono." Even though he knew she was mocking him with his title, underneath the facade he could tell she was completely serious. But why?

_Oh, glory..._

_Oh, glory._

Almost as soon as she had made the statement, she disappeared, leaving Renji to do his least favorite thing: think. And unfortunately, there was plenty to think about. The chief concern, obviously, was the impending execution of a close friend.

If he stepped in and fought, he would surely die. There were twelve other fukutaicho and thirteen taicho, not to mention the various foot soldiers and other seated officers. Even if he wanted to save her, how could he possibly accomplish it alone?

He jumped up, walking out of the quarters. He needed to be moving if he was going to force himself to think. He'd go crazy otherwise.

But... there was nothing he could do. She had broken a law, knowing its consequences even if they had suddenly harshened. So... should he just abandon her? Could he?

The alarm blared, shattering his thoughts. Shinigami ran in every direction, yelling orders and questions and concerns as they went. Renji finally looked up, where most of the fingers were pointing, to discover a large ball of what looked like reiatsu hurtling toward Seireitei. His eyes widened as the mass slammed into the invisible dome, somehow breaking through and scattering multiple people in several directions.

Who was invading now of all times?!

A little later, he discovered that it was the rookie, Kurosaki Ichigo, and a group of his friends. What the hell were they thinking? It sounded like he wanted to save Rukia. How was that his choice? He was the reason for her situation in the first place!

He was again distracted by Kinnia's sudden appearance at his elbow, relaying the message that all seated officers were now on wartime orders and permitted to wear and use their zanpakutou when they needed to. Renji glanced at Yozora, already tied around her waist, and realized he had only a faint clue where Zabimaru was.

She followed him dutifully as he strode back the way he'd come, her manner only slightly betraying her curiosity toward his thoughts. Finally, he frowned slightly and said, "Kinnia?"

"Yes?"

"As a fukutaicho and a third seat, we're going to do our damnedest to stop these ryoka." He glared up at the sky before ducking into the quarters and finally finding Zabimaru. As he fixed the sheath around his waist, he muttered, "_This is how we'll dance when they try to take us down..._"

Kinnia nodded, determination in her eyes as she wholeheartedly agreed, "_This is what will be._"

_Oh, glory._

It seemed like ages had passed in seconds before Renji finally found him. He was just walking down the street with someone Renji barely recognized as a member of Fourth Division and someone he didn't recognize at all. He could tell that Kurosaki sensed him as he descended the stairs because he immediately stopped his companions.

Renji pushed his sunglasses up onto his forehead, smirking as he asked, "Remember me?"

"Abarai Renji," he growled in response. The person from Fourth Division--Renji couldn't remember his name--began to shake uncontrollably, trying to explain something to the other man.

"You even remembered my name; I'm impressed," he responded, shouldering Zabimaru's shikai release and walking forward. Kurosaki's hands tightened around the hilt of his zanpakutou, and Renji frowned a little as he wondered about its shape--hadn't it been more boxy the last time they met? It was still as large as his body, but it was more sleek. He finally shook it off, instead saying, "I don't know how you survived Kuchiki-taicho's attack, but you shouldn't have come here just to get killed."

"Shut up!" he countered, already braced for a fight. "I'm here to save Rukia, and I'm not going to lose to you!" As soon as the sentence ended they flew at each other, sparks shattering into the air as steel met steel. Renji pulled back, swinging Zabimaru's whiplike form and blasting Kurosaki through a nearby building. He smirked a little, but the rubble stirred and he forced himself back up.

They clashed several more times until Renji found himself pinned against a wall, straining Zabimaru to hold back the other zanpakutou. "How do you think you're going to save her anyway?" he asked angrily. "Even if you manage to get past me, there's twelve other fukutaicho and thirteen taicho!"

"I don't care how many of you there are!" he shouted. "I'll beat every one of you!"

Something snapped inside Renji and he lashed out, knocking Kurosaki clean off his feet and tearing Zabimaru through his body. "What makes you so arrogant?" he demanded as Zabimaru sliced through the air. "Just because you've won one or two battles doesn't mean you can win them all!" Kurosaki had fallen to his knees and stayed there, breathing raggedly. Renji shouldered Zabimaru for a moment, feeling his fading reiatsu pulse like a dying heart. Finally he spat, "You can't save Rukia."

_Somewhere weakness is our strength_

_And I'll die searching for it_

Renji couldn't believe it. This damn child was insisting on saving someone he'd known for only a few months, even though people who'd known her for nearly a century knew it wasn't possible. He dared to insinuate that they cared less for her than he did because they couldn't do anything.

He swung Zabimaru up, aiming to kill the defiant weakness kneeling before him...

And Kurosaki looked up. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Renji. I've finally resolved to kill you."

For the second time, Zangetsu tore up Renji's form, shooting pain through his torso up to the shattering glasses on his forehead. He belatedly felt the surge in Kurosaki's reiatsu, but his arms were already going numb. Somehow he got enough strength to steady himself, but then his mind was ranging, anger-tainted pictures spiraling out of control.

Finally it focused on Rukia. Back in their Rukongai days. Back when all their group needed was each other.

Or so they thought.

He and Rukia were the only ones to survive. They survived the 78th District, and now she was going to die in Seireitei, in the same place they had sought salvation and strength.

Damn it all!

Renji screamed. He screamed at fate, at the laws in Seireitei, at everything that was against them. And then he staggered forward, clutching Kurosaki's shoulders. "I'm just a stray dog," he muttered. "I always howl at the stars, but I never have the courage to jump at them!"

He looked down, swallowing thickly. "Kurosaki... I'll ask you this, knowing that I shame myself... Rukia... please save Rukia!!" In the resounding silence, he waited. He waited for some cocky, smartass answer, and just repeated mentally, '_I can't let myself regret such selfishness..._'

But finally the answer came. Just a simple, determined, "Yeah."

_My pain and all the trouble caused_

_No matter how long..._

Kinnia blinked softly, wrapping her fingers around a cold bar. A member of Fourth Division was checking up on Renji, who was not only lucky to be alive, he was lucky to still be part of Sixth Division. Byakuya had been on the proverbial warpath about demoting him or evicting him altogether. Kinnia was happy that many of the other taicho had spoken up for Renji, though she was fairly certain Byakuya wouldn't be happy with him for a long time.

Finally the member of Fourth Division approached the bars and she let him out, thanking him for his services. He shrugged noncommittally and said, "I still wonder how strong this ryoka is, to be able to take Abarai-fukutaicho down so easily."

Kinnia nodded a little before adding, "But we don't know how much damage the ryoka took in return."

"True," he commented before walking away. She watched him go with a not-quite-frowning expression, then sighed a little. She glanced back at her bandaged fukutaicho, noticing that his eyes were staring at the ceiling. After a moment, she whispered,

"Renji?" He made a clipped 'huh' noise in response, acknowledging her presence but not wanting to talk. She shifted her weight on her feet before sliding into a sitting position. "How long have you been awake?"

He sighed irritably, realizing she wasn't going to leave him alone. "Not long," he responded, carefully turning one wrist in the shackles so he could scratch the other.

"Does it hurt?"

"No."

She pursed her lips, gently biting her tongue. It had to hurt. Just looking at it hurt. But she tried not to ask, being on thin ice already.

After a short silence, Renji groaned and raised his hands, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes. "It's all just so damn pointless!" he burst out without moving. "He knew her for two months. Two damn months! And he thinks he can save her when we can't? When I can't? He thinks he has that right?!"

Kinnia looked at him, not sure if he'd forgotten she was there. Finally she mumbled, "Renji... with all respect, the way you're talking makes it sound like you don't want Rukia to be saved. If she means this much to you..."

"What do you mean by that?" he snapped, and Kinnia immediately backtracked.

"Nothing, sorry, it wasn't my place to say." Then she paused, got up slowly and said, "I just... _I believe that there's hope buried beneath it all and..."_

_"_More like _hiding beneath it all_," he replied sourly. "Fine. I don't want her to die, all right? But..."

"But you want to save her, not him?"

"I was going to say 'but there's no way'. Where the hell did you get that idea?!"

"Nowhere!" she answered quickly, disappearing through the door with a grin. 'Yea...' she thought as she walked away. 'There's hope _glowing beneath it all..._"

_This is how we'll dance when, when they_

_Try to take us down_

_This is what will be, yea_

"Ukitake-taicho?"

Ukitake Juushiro turned with a small start and smiled a little. "Ah, Tsukino Kinnia. What brings you over here?"

"Can't a girl visit her old division without a reason?" she said with her own smile.

"Of course she can," Ukitake replied graciously, slowing raising an eyebrow and adding, "but you show up a lot happier when you're just visiting."

She almost pouted, "I'm plenty happy today."

"It's more subdued than usual," he responded. "What's wrong?" She shrugged a little, almost drawing away from the subject. Ukitake took that to mean it was a sad or uncomfortable problem, neither of which she liked to deal with. "Is it Abarai-kun?" he prompted, gently poking around the edges to ease her into talking about it.

"Yes and no," she muttered, absently scratching her hand.

"He's recovering fine, isn't he?"

"Yea, in jail," she emphasized, shying away from the topic again. Ukitake sighed a little, raising an eyebrow. She was so difficult when she needed to talk about something she didn't want to say. "he's fine... physically."

"So what's the problem?"

"He got hurt trying to stop the ryoka," she finally said, breaching the topic, "but... he doesn't want Rukia-chan to die." He waited patiently while she paused, working on continuing and trying to find the right words. "We said that _this is how we'll stand_, but... I... I don't think he really wants to stand that way."

Ukitake nodded slightly, considering. "Well, only he can make that choice."

"I know..." she trailed off. "But he's just so stubborn!"

"Like someone else I know."

"Ukitake-taicho!"

He laughed, waving a hand and assuring her he had been joking. It helped to lighten the mood, although it made Kinnia start to withdraw back into her optimistic side. The subdued sadness stayed in her outward demeanor, so Ukitake reassured her by saying, "Calm down. I'm sure everything will turn out okay in the end. And Abarai-kun will say what he wants when he wants, so don't worry about him. Okay?"

"Okay," she smiled in spite of herself. "_This is what will be... oh glory..._"

_Reaching as I sink down into light..._

_Reaching as I sink down into light..._

Renji was fairly sure he was going crazy. All he had to do was stare at the ceiling and yell at Zabimaru when he wouldn't shut up about being restless, even though Renji was equally as anxious about having to lie still and be in jail. So many things were happening just outside these walls, and he needed to be a part of them.

But a part of which side? Seireitei, which wanted to kill a good friend and imprison him for failure? Or the ryoka, who were defying everything he'd ever known to save that friend? Which loyalties should he follow?

"When are you going to get better?" Zabimaru appeared again. "It's so boring here, there's nothing to do."

"What do you want me to do about that?" Renji snapped back, slowly sitting up.

"Bring that Zangetsu around again, eh?" he suggested. "I was finally getting used to him..."

"No."

"What do you mean, no?"

And everything suddenly fell into place. "He's not my enemy anymore," he said reflectively. He stood up, preparing to leave his prison and become a traitor.

_This is how we'll dance when, when they_

_Try to take us down_

He hadn't even made it halfway to the tower, and he'd run straight into Byakuya. He supposed it couldn't be helped. He was looking to break a law, of course Byakuya would appear, and of course he wouldn't step aside without a fight. So he only had one choice.

"Bankai!" He felt the power surge, Hihio Zabimaru grew and roared for a target, for something to kill, and Renji focused it on Byakuya. '_This is what will be_...' he thought. Now he would learn if he had trained hard enough to defeat his captain, to reach a huge goal.

The battle began.

Renji thought he'd gotten ahead, that he'd almost found an opening. "You're on your knees," he commented, watching Byakuya's eyes narrow with a rarely shown anger. But he didn't seem worried at all, like he thought he still couldn't lose.

Renji soon found out that he'd known he couldn't lose.

He hadn't even felt it until after Byakuya's sword had reformed. Then everything exploded into pain and blood. He couldn't support his own weight and crumpled, falling face-down in the dust. Byakuya was saying something, but the effort to continue breathing took most of Renji's focus, especially as he tried to get back to his feet.

"Don't try to move." Byakuya's voice finally drifted to his ears. "You're fortunate to retain a human form after taking an attack from Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." Renji knew he was right; the only thing he could feel over his entire body was pain and the slickness of his own blood dyeing the ground.

But as the world drifted to black, he also felt a feather-light pressure on his back and heard the ghostly words, "Congratulations. You did manage to reach me."

_This is what will be, yea_

_This is how we'll stand when, when they_

_Burn our houses down_

Everyone was gathering on Sokyoku Hill. Kinnia looked around and saw most of the taicho and several fukutaicho. She didn't see many people lower than those ranks, but she had never heard that an event like this was meant for those ranks alone.

She searched the faces of the taicho, curious as to why she couldn't find Ukitake. Instead she found Kyoraku Shunsui, who she was fairly sure would know where Ukitake was. She approached him, actually waiting to be acknowledged for once. The melancholy in the air was apparently affecting even her.

When he finally turned to greet her, she asked, "Kyoraku-taicho, have you seen Ukitake-taicho around?"

"Once, earlier," he replied flippantly.

"Do you know where he is now?"

"No, but I'm sure he's coming." The corner of his mouth moved a little, and Kinnia wasn't sure whether he had tried to smile and failed or if he'd just told her a lie. "Why are you looking for him?"

Kinnia shrugged a little, "I wanted to ask him something, but it's really not that important." Her eyes wandered a little, over his shoulder to where Ise Nanao stood beside her taicho.

"Ask me," Kyoraku suggested. "I know I'm not your former taicho, but I still know a thing or two."

She almost smiled a little. "Well, I was just wondering..." She half-turned to look at the giant halberd looming behind them, suppressing a wince, "I was wondering how that actually works."

"You'll see it soon, anyway," he answered softly, but then went on quickly, "That's actually not Sokyoku's true form. That's its controlled, resting form. Rukia-chan will not be killed by the form of the halberd."

"What's its true form, then?" He just smiled a little because the procession had begun.

Led and followed by her hooded executioners, Kuchiki Rukia appeared on the edge of the platform. She passed by her brother, who did not look her way at all. For some reason Kinnia couldn't guess, that seemed to calm Rukia, and she pensively went where she was led.

The group stopped at the foot of the scaffold, simultaneously releasing her neck while stretching her arms out parallel to the ground. She slowly rose through the air and remained suspended for what seemed like an eternity. The air was terribly still before it suddenly whirled around the massive blade, pulling its ropes free. Kinnia pushed her bangs away from her face to be sure she could see everything as the blade was enveloped in flames. They swiftly took shape in the form of a giant phoenix.

Kinnia's eyes widened, watching the fiery wings beat, and she muttered, "_This is what will be..._" Kyoraku glanced down at her but she didn't acknowledge him, eyes and thoughts locked on Rukia.

Time was almost up. Would anything be done? Could anything be done? Who would do it? As far as Kinnia knew, Renji still shouldn't be moving. That probably wouldn't stop him, but at this point, it seemed like he would be too late. Which left only one question: where was Kurosaki Ichigo?

Rukia's eyes closed; the phoenix screamed its attack. It dove--a subtle shift passed through the witness, an unconscious brace--

And suddenly it stopped.

Kinnia took two deliberate steps forward, angling her head to see between the phoenix and Rukia. She made out a flowing cape, topped by a head of orange hair.

All she breathed was, "_Oh, glory._"

--Fin--

Well, I hope you liked it! Please review if you can!


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